Cool under pressure

STOCKTON - They don't get the attention or the cheers the players do. Most people don't know their names, and some don't even get paid.

Scott Linesburgh

STOCKTON - They don't get the attention or the cheers the players do. Most people don't know their names, and some don't even get paid.

But hockey games at Stockton Arena wouldn't be the same without the off-ice people who work to put on the show.

The behind-the-scenes contributors include officials who keep statistics, operate the goal judge booths or man the penalty boxes. There are assistant trainers and locker room attendants. Not to mention various arena workers who dispense food or tickets, sweep up the trash, and clean the restrooms.

Some are paid and others volunteer, and Thunder coach Matt Thomas said they are all important.

"Any great organization runs on volunteers in so many facets," Thomas said. "It's the fuel of the organization. You see so many people who care about it and enjoy being a part of it."

Here's a look at three individuals who give their time and passion to the Thunder.

Ray Larson smiles when asked the familiar question about what's in the blue cooler he keeps in the home penalty box. He pleasantly assures people it doesn't contain his lunch or a six pack of his favorite frosty beverage.

It contains several frozen pucks in ice, ready for game use.

"I do get that question a lot," said Larson, 62, a Stockton resident. "I keep the pucks in the box, and I am ready when the ref asks for it. They have to stay frozen. Warm pucks tend to bounce around too much, and the officials decide when they want to make a switch, I flip them one as fast as I can."

Larson, who is not paid, is an original member of Stockton's off-ice official crew and is proud to say that he has missed just three games. He played hockey when he was younger and said life is never boring in the penalty box.

"It's the love of the sport. Most of the fellas that are in the crew played hockey at one time or another and it's in the blood," Larson said. "We're a part of something, and we want to make it professional."

Larson said he does get a chance to visit with the penalized players, The first time a new member of the team heads for the penalty box, he greets them with a hearty "welcome to Stockton!"

He made cards a year ago to help him keep track of comings and goings in the box, which he calls "Larson cards." He has one for every Thunder member and said he always keeps the one for Thunder captain and enforcer Garet Hunt at the ready.

Hunt is Larson's most frequent visitor, having amassed a team-record 989 penalty minutes in his four-plus seasons.

"With Garet, I've kept the card waiting for him," Larson said. "All I had to do was fill in the time (of the penalty)."

Brenda Bryant remembers going to her first professional sports event 14 years ago to watch the NHL's Dallas Stars. While she enjoyed the fast-paced game, she also found herself fascinated by what was coming out of the loudspeakers.

"I instantly fell in love with the sport, and one of the things I always loved was the music at the game," Bryant said. "I would joke that it must be the coolest job ever. And here I am. I have the coolest job ever."

Bryant is the Thunder's music maker. She sits in her perch in the highest part of the arena, armed with hundreds of different songs to entertain the fans.

"I get a lot of latitude, but a lot of things are dictated by the game itself," she said. "You don't want to play heavy metal music when people are walking in because they want to be able to talk to each other and find their seats."

There are some general rules. She wouldn't play Metallica during the arena's "Kiss Cam" segment, favoring more smoochy-compatible material, and she has popular arena anthems such as "The Chicken Dance" and "YMCA" in the rotation. She is always looking for new music.

Bryant said the music for pre-game warmups is selected by Thunder players. If a player gives up a song title by 2 p.m. on the day before a game, she can usually purchase it in time.

Bryant, who grew up in Natchitoches, La., (about 75 miles southeast of Shreveport, La.) worked for the Thunder as its director of public relations when the team came to town in 2005. She left her post after 21/2 years but always followed the team.

"One day I got a call that they needed someone to do music in a weekend game here and there. Now this is my third full season," said Bryant, who earns a stipend for her chores. "And the main thing is to keep the fans happy and entertained, no matter what the score is."

Marcus Estrada doesn't get a salary to be the Thunder's stick boy. He has always been paid in good times and memories.

He was a wide-eyed 14-year-old when he first became the Stockton Thunder's stick boy in 2005. He's still helping the team and taking care of the players' needs in the Thunder's eighth season.

"I did the first Thunder home game in history and had just turned 14. I was just a kid, and it was a lot of fun," said Estrada, 20. "We do it because we love it. If I wanted to get paid, I'd go work at Taco Bell. I come here because I love doing it and it's so much fun."

For a 7:30 p.m. game, he arrives at 2:30 p.m. He delivers meals for both teams, shines helmets, dries gloves, runs errands for players and, yes, gets their sticks.

"It's pretty much anything they need, we do," Estrada said. "All they have to do is ask, whether it's the home or visiting team. When our team goes on the road, they take care of us."

He and his brother, Greg, started together. Greg did every season except the current one, because he has gone off to college. Marcus, who attends Delta College, said one of the best parts of being with the Thunder is the relationships with team members.

When asked to name favorite players, he said it's a very long list. Among them are current team captain Hunt, Mike Lalonde, Craig Valette, Bryan Pitton and Matt O'Dette, who is the head coach of the Bakersfield Condors.

"A lot of the players are amazing, and so many have given me great advice," Estrada said. "It's just been a great experience."